Hydraulic reach tightener



F. F. BEAN 2,614,864

HYDRAULIIC REACH TIGHTENER Filed May 2e. 1951 Patented Oct. 21, 1952 Y.2,614,864` "HYDRAULIC REACHTIGHTENER Ireinoncl` F. Bean, Grand Ronde,Greg.` t Application May 26, 1951, Serial`No.l228,520

' This invention relates to a hydraulic tight- 4 claims. l (o1. 28o-142)ener which is operativaselectively, to clamp or to release the reach ortow bar which interconnects a logging truck and trailer. l

One object `of my inventionis to provide` a reach tightener which is`actuated hydraulically and which is accessible laterally from the sideof a loaded logging trailer so the driver may, operate the same withoutinterference from the loa-d.

Along the highways of western Washington and Oregon and northernCalifornia,` logging trucks and trailers are a familiar sight. To theuninitiated, however,` a logging trailer appears to function in apeculiar manner.` Thus,the trailer per se is little `more than askeleton-like, dualaxled bolster carrying -a cross bunk. ,Longituthescrew is tightened, the truck andtrailer, l

Finally,` preparatory to transporting the load to dinally, it isequipped `with a centrally disposed box frame member Ahaving a hollowtunnel through which an elongated wooden reach or tow bar slidably isfitted. This reach articulates forwardly with the log: truck towingunit. During certain operations, the reach is clamped of logs oftenwill'interferewith the operation of the screw. By way of example, atypical load-r, y Y

ing operation'proceeds, in sequence, as follows:

The empty truck and trailer unit iirstisadjustedto thefdesiredeffectivelength by back. ing off the tightening screw and maneuvering the truckto slide the reach in or out of the tunnel in the trailer frame ,membenThereafter,

are driven to the proper loading position,` and,` the log orllogs areloa-ded upon `the bunks.

mill, the screw once more is ba'ckedloff and-4 the reach is allowed to.slide freely `within the tun, nel.` `In this manner, one memberonly,the load,

is subject to tensionand bendinglduring transport.` Were this not so,the load and reach.

would form two vertically spaced, parallel tension members `subject toVdifferential bending, shear, and stress. However, by mounting theforward end -of the rea-ch` pivotally upon the truck and by allowing therearward end to slide tightly in place whereas, during other opera-4tions,` the reach is free to slide or` move -lon, gitudinally within thehollow tunnel. Thus, the Ipull upon a loaded trailer is transferred, notalong the reach asmany people believe, but yalong the log or` logsmaking up` the load. On the other hand, when the truck isrunning emptyfor; a short distance or is maneuvering priorto` loading, the reachisclamp'ed'in place and the pull is transferred along the reach itself.`Yet further, when the trailer isriding tandem upon thel'back of thetruck, as `during a high-speed return run, the reach is` clamped tightonly to prevent the accidental loss thereof, From this description, itwill" be evident that each run of a logging truck and trailerunitisaccompanied by numerous clamp and release operations upon thereach.l My invention is ldirected toward anl improved clamp orltightenerstructurefor these logging trailer reaches.

`rit the ,present time, thel most l commen tight ener for securing areach` `in the hollow box frame tunnel of a logging .trailer isathreaded screw and `plate structure. 'Thisstructure upon which I intendto improve, cooperates with the threads in a hole tapped through the topofthe trailer box frame member to `grip or release the 1'each.`Actuation of the screw is manual and is effected by reaching 4inlaterally over the top ofthe frame meniber to grip'a lateral purchaserod. carried by the screw. Experience has shown,

however, that these manual 4screws,,are notentirely reliable inoperation. Further,`the load within thetunnel, Isubstantially all ofthestress- 1 andstrain is` relieved therefrom, and is taken` f instead bythe loa-d itself. Y l l l `Several disadvantages are inherent in thescrew` tightener now in general use. Firstly, it

is evident that the screw must be` located clear"` of the load ifi theAdriver is to actuate the same while the trailer is loaded. However, thenorfmal screw location,` on t-op of the, boxframe and reach, isinappropriate since knots, ,burlaV and limbs often project downwardlyand interfera therewith. On some occasions, it has ,beekrlf l 3necessary for the driver physically to chop away.,

a piece of `limb ora protruding knot before he can reach `the screwtoback it offn, Upon. otherV occasions, it. has vbeen necessary to employa` loader to rotate the logs upon fthebunks in or# yder to free thescrew` tightener for operattdn-l` Accordingly, one object of myinventionv is "to" provide a tightener which is accessible even l thoughthe load is not clean shaven or free fof knots, limbs,` and the like,thus to speed they loa'd-f;l

ing and transport of logs.

Continuing, those tighteners heretofore feinY `ployed have providedactuation members, Asuch` as the lateral purchase rod, which'project1`a`t`-,` l erally in an undesirable manner. tions are subject todamageduring loading, `un" l. loading, and movement of thejloa'd'."Furthen there ,isalways the chance that a shiftingload `may bump againstsuch'a projection and,loosen or tighten the screw inadvertently. j Tocounter l these disadvantages, git is a l further 'object fof lmy"`invention to provide a shielded reach tightener-1` Ahandle from an 3rwhichis located within a protective housing of some substantialstrength whereby inadvertent cally actuated bymeans of a novel handle,such handle to be mounted for pivotal movement about a vertical axisbetween a freely available .operative positionjand aloclced` andprotected inoperative position. Thus, the actuating handle also willbeprotected against thecontin'gencies heretofore mentioned.

concerned, is towed and all motive power is protrailer is transmitted,in tension, along the log To this end, my novel reach tightener includesa hollow protective housing which is pendent 'from therbottom of alogging trailer box frame member. This housing has one open sideaffording lateral entry into the interior thereof.A

Additionally, av circular guideway is formed intermediate the interioryof the housing and the tunnel in the box frame member. A hydraulic liftjack is secured detachablywithin the prol tective housing by means of anovel hooked slide.

Upon the upper end'of the conventional, Ver-ti- .cally movable'shaftwhich is carried and actuated by the hydraulicl jack.' I mount anenlarged circular head' which is complementary to and slidably receivedwithin the aforementioned circular guideway. The jack actuation handle,on the'other'hand, is mountedv upon a novel pivot axis for movementbetween an operative and an 'inoperative position, the latter positionbeing one in 'which the handle is locked and guarded against vinadvertent displacement or damage.. Accordingly, inoperation, the jackand handle readily are available and accessible, even' though the;trailer is loaded. Further, the entire operating mechanism is housed,protected, and free of undesirable lateral projections in sharp contrastto those tightenermechanisms heretofore employed. f y I These and otherobjects and advantages of my invention will vbe setforthin the followingdetailed description, taken in conjunction withV the accompanyingdrawing, wherein:

'Figv l is a foreshortened side View of a loaded logging truck andtrailer showing a conventional wooden reach y and the position,y withrespect l v thereto, which my-novel hydraulic reach tight- Fig; 2 is anenlarged'sectio'n view, taken sub stantially on the line 2 2 of Fig. 3and looking rearwardly fromin front of the reach tightener, showing theenlarged circular gripping head rslidably received within aguideway'formed in the. bottom of the box'frame member; v

"K Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view, taken substantially in'thle samedirection as Fig. 1, showing the hydraulic jack and the handle foractuating` the same, together with the clip-type keeper member forholdingthe handle in an inoperative position; and

tFig. 4 is a top section view,` taken substantially on the line 4-4 ofFig. 3, showing thespaced y hooks detachably for holding the hydraulicjack in position and indicating, by arrows .and a dashed outline, the"swing of the jacl; operating inoperative to an operative position.i

In Fig. 1,'I have shown the rear portion only of a logging truck 5together with a conventionalv logging trailer 6, In general, the trailer6 is dual axled,'as` at I and 8, and includes a bolster 9 upon which'ismounted abunk III. Thus, the

trailer unitpe'r se, with which this invention is 4through the bottom ofthe box frame member tour andthe reach is carried slidably within thetunnel. Thus, in loaded operation, the reach I3 serves a lateral guidefunction but no tension or longitudinal pulling force is transmittedtherethrough.

When the ylogging truck and trailer are 'not I loaded, as during shortempty runs or when the :ein

' ing forces lwhich mightotherwisebe transferred' unit is maneuveredprior to loading, the reach I3, of course, must be clamped in place tointerconnect the truck and trailer. To this end, I have shown at I8, theconventional threaded screw which heretofore has been utilized `to clampthe reach I3 withinthe hollow tunnel I1.. This threaded screw includes alateral purchase rod I9 with which the screw' is tightened. Further, itwill be noted, the screw and rod both are Vlocated on top ofthebox'frame member I6 'di`` rectly beneath the log I2. This location isthe cause ofone of the disadvantages inherent in thisy prior structuresince knots, branches, and burls often protrude from the log I2 andthese interfere with the operation of the tightener. Further, insecuring a tight grip upon the'reach, itfoften hasbeen necessary toplace a lengthof pipe over the rod I9 to increase the turning purchase.I have shown. this conventional or prior structure in combination'withthe novel structure of the instant invention because it is contemplatedlthat most truck operators merely will add my new structure to theirtrailers rather than buying an entire new trailer outt.

Turning now tothe details of my novel structure, a hollow protectivehousing 20 is made'pendent from `the bottom of the box frame I6. Oneside of this housing is left open, as is indicated at 2|, to vaffordlateral entry to the hollow interior thereof. Further, the bottom of thevbox` frame I6 is pierced by a circular guideway 22 tor afford opencommunication between the tunnel` Ii and the interior of the housing. Ahydraulic jack 23,of conventional design, is carried within theprotective housing 2llnanda vertically movable shaft 24, actuated byhydraulic fluid pressure, protrudes slidably from: theA top thereof.

` Secured to the top o'fthis shaft 24, I have shown an enlarged circulargripping head 25 having a.

notched upper surface 26. 'This gripping head 25 is complementary to andis slidably received with- 1n the aforementioned circular guideway 22.Thus,

vertical actuation of the jack shaft 24 will ymove' the notched surface26 Avertically into and out of engagement with thereach I3. Further,when such engagement is effected, the tight-fitting cir-H cular guideway22 willserve to relieve any shearto the `shaft 24. For example, if thetruck `is tow.-

notched surfaceZ and gripping head"25 'willbe transferred: from thecircular. guideway 12.2.1,di- `,re'ctlyto the boxframe member I6 `ratherthan to? the `vertical jack shaft 24.

i mounting the `hydrants jack 2a witnmlthe lprotective housing 20,1prefer to employaflat slide member 21 which closelyunderlies thebaseofthe jacl;` and detachably is secured to the housing byzmeans of "astudboltg28. Further, this `slide is'provided with twospaced`fingerhooks29 which encompass and grip the base of the jack to`holdfthe same against movement andto lock it In actuation of the jack23, an `operating mem"- `bevr- 3|l isI pivotally mounted, as at 3|,andis pivotally attached, as at 32,` to the` rod33 ofa rconventionalhydraulic jack zoperating, piston l! (not lshown) 30 about the pivot 3|`will actuateA the hydraulic jack operating piston to raise the shaft24. Manipulation of the thumbpiece'34, on the other hand, will releasethe `hydraulic pressure to. lower the vertical shaft 24. g l i 1 InFigs. 2, 3, and 4, I have shown a further novel feature of myinvention.` Thus, the operating member 30 has been bifurcated toprovidetwo projecting fingers 35. These ngersaccom modate the flattened end ofa jack-operating handle 36 for pivotal movement about a vertical axiswhichis defined by a pivot member 31. Additionally, a clip-type keepermember 38 is secured to one side of the protective housing 20, as at 39,to lock the handle 36 in an inoperative position. Thus, the handle 36 ismounted for pivotal movement abouta vertical axis between the operativedashed line position of Fig. 4 and the inoperative full line positionthereof. In the operative dashed line position, thehandle 36 extendslaterally out` from the jack 23 so that re` ciprocation of the operatingmember 30 may be had. On the other hand, the inoperative full lineposition of Fig. 4 is defined when the keeper 38`locks the handle to oneside. This latter position, of course, is the normal .position when thejack is notbeing raised.

In assembling my novel hydraulicreach tightener, the vertical shaft 24is fitted with the cylindrical gripping head and the entire mechanism isinserted through the open side 2| into the protective housing 20.Thereafter, the gripping head 25 is aligned slidably within the guideway22 and the flat member 21 is slipped underneath the base of the jack.With the spaced finger hooks 29 gripping the base of the jack, the studbolt 28 is tightened and the mechanism is ready for operation.

If, for example, the log l2 has just been loaded upon the bunks, thereach I3 must be loosened or released for free movement within thetunnel I1. By proper manipulation of the valve stem thumbpiece 34, thehydraulic jack 23 is caused to lower the vertical shaft 24 so thegripping head 25 will free the reach I3. At a later time, if the reachI3 once more is to be tightened, thehandle 36 is pivoted out ofengagement with the keeper 38 and is utilized to reciprocate theoperating member 3|] about the pivot 3|. This reciprocation causes thejack 23 hydraulically. to lift the shaft 24 and the head 25 into tightgripping relationship with the under side of the wooden reach I3.Further, the notch surface 26 bites into and tightly grips the reach I3to hold the same against inadvertent or undesirable longitudinaldisplacement. I ,'fllcereafter,` of course, the handle 36,oncewmore ispivoted into'engagement with .the keeper 38 tofdene `the,aforenuentionedirroperative position. r From ,the above descriptiomit will be-seenithat `I havaprovided a' hydraulic reach tightenex which` isaccessible laterally from the .sidel of' the loggingtrailer 6eventhough; such trailer. be

loaded: witha log orlogsfwhich have;` protruding branches; knots. andburls extending. vertically downftiierefrom;` fFurther, 1I ,have`provided a `protective housingaZU which shields myhydraulc 4 y reachtightener from inadvertent damage ort-ac,-

'tuation during `loading or during other operations ateduntil'thevhandleis freed VtherefromimIn short my hydraulic yreach 'tighteneriprovidesta sure gripit is reliablein operation,` andthe parts thereof'`are protected A fromdamage,` or inadvertent operation, all lto .theendof providing an` `innroved hydraulic reach ging industry. I Y yI claimt"tightener; `for the log- ;l. In.. combinatiomgan elongated hollowlf-boxframe having a longitudinal tunnel:V therethrough,

an elongated reachslidably carried within said tunnel, said reach beingof complementary contour to said tunnel, a hollow `protective housingpendent from the bottom of said box frame and` having one side thereofopen, a guideway open to both said tunnel and housing, a hydraulic jackcarried within said housing and having a ver-` tically movable grippinghead upon the upper end thereof, 'said gripping head being slidablyreceived Within said guideway for vertical movement upwardly intofrictional holding contact with said reach, and a fiat slide membercarried by said housing and underlying said jackV to space the samefromthe bottom of said housing.

2. In combination, an elongated hollow box frame member having alongitudinal tunnel therethrough, an elongated wooden reach slidablycarried within said tunnel, a hollow protective housing pendent from thebottom of said box frame and having one side thereof open to affordlateral entry into the housing, a guideway piercing the bottom of said`box frame and open to said tunnel and housing, a hydraulic lift jackcarried within said housing and having a vertically movable shaftcarrying an enlarged gripping head upon the upper end thereof, saidgripping head being slidably received Within said guldeway and having anotched surface for vertical movement upwardly into frictional holdingcontact with `the under surface of said wooden reach, and a reciprocalhandle means protruding from said housing open side for actuating saidjack, said handle being mounted for pivotal movement about a verticalaxis between an operative position extending laterally out from saidjack and an inoperative position extending longitudinally to the sidethereof for lockingengagement with a clip-type keeper.

3. In combination, a logging trailer carrying an elongatedhollow boxframe member having a longitudinal tunnel therethrough, an elongatedreach slidably carried within and protruding from both ends of saidtunnel, said reach being of vertical guideway inthe bottom of said boxframe,

said guideway opening tov said tunnel and hous-V A ing, a hydraulic liftjack carriedk within and closely encompassed by said housing, said jackhaving a vertically movable shaft carrying an enlarged circular grippinghead'upon the upper lend` thereon said gripping head being slidablylreceived within said guideway for vertical Inove-` ,ment-'upwardly intofrictional holding contact hooks'extending, upwardly to grip the base ofsaid jack yand hold the` same vagainst longitudinal movement. f'

i -.4.,In combination', an Aelongated .hollow box iframe.v member having.a Alongitudinal tunnel of noncircularx cross-section therethrough, anelongated -wooden reach-,of complementary noncircular cross-sectionslidably carried within and protruding from bothends of said tunnel, ahollow protective housing pendent from the bottom of said box frameadjacent one end thereof and having one side thereof open to affordlateral entry into the housing, a circular guidewaypiercing the bottomof saidtbox frame and open to said tunnel and housing, a hydraulic liftjack carried Within said housing and having a vertically movable shaftcarryingan enlarged circular gripping head upon the upper endthereof,'said gripping head being closely encompassed by and slidablyreceived Within said guideway and having a notched surface forverticalmovement upwardly into frictional holding contact with the undersurface of said reach, a reciprocal handle means protruding from saidhousing open side for actuating said jack, said handle i being mountedfor pivotal movement about a vertical axis between an operative positionextending laterally out from said jack and an inoperative positionlongitudinally to the side .for locking-engagement with a cliptype'keepenand'a fiat slide member detachably secured toI said housing andunderlying said jack, said slide member carrying rspaced finger hooksfor gripping lsaid jack and holding the sam againstv longitudinalmovement.

Y V FREMOND F. BEAN;

. REFERENCES CITED lThe following references are of recordin the le ofkthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date

